Horrific images have emerged from Spain which show a Spanish bullfighter being gored in the groin by a bull.
Paco Urena received his gruesome injuries while fighting the animal at the annual Semana Grande fair in Bilbao, Basque Country.
Photographs taken at the scene show the huge animal ramming its horn between Urena's legs, with the gold clad bullfighter understandably pulling an agonised expression.
Urena was also photographed smiling while holding two bull's ears as trophies, blood staining the front of his elaborate gold garments.
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As reported by Mail Online, Semana Grande - also known as Aste Nagusia - is a festival of Basque culture which takes place over the course of nine days each August.
Over 100,000 people attend the celebrations every year, with attractions including strongman competitions, food fights, fireworks and bullfighting.
Bullfighting remains a polarising topic in Spain. Some view it as an integral part of the Spanish cultural identity, and feel it needs to be preserved for future generations.
However, many regard the sport as barbaric and outdated; borne from the sort of cruelty that should have no place in the modern world.
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According to animal rights organisation PETA, at least 7,000 bulls are killed during official bullfights in Spanish bullrings each year.
The organisation says the animals are 'pushed to extreme mental and physical exhaustion' before the matador ends their life, with their bodies completely drained from blood loss and prolonged harassment.
It's not just the animals that suffer. In 2018, the United Nations (UN) expressed concerns about the damaging impact bullfighting can have for both young participants and spectators.
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Last week, animal rights group One Voice released findings in support of this after infiltrating a bullfighting school in the French city of Nimes.
The group has now expressed grave concern about the psychological impact of such an education for young trainee bullfighters, commenting: "One can start at the age of 6 to attend these schools. At the age when one begins to read and write, one can learn at the same time the B-A-BA of bullfighting.
"They learn that torturing a living animal by planting spears and then pushing a blade into its body is acceptable and expected. We can witness the long and painful killing of these beings, whose sensibility is recognised, and on whom these cruelties are exerted... except here."
One mother reportedly told One Voice how her son had refused to return to the bullfighting school for a full year after being forced to slaughter his first bull.
Featured Image Credit: ShutterstockTopics: World News, Spain